A complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) is one type of transistor used in an integrated circuit (IC). CMOS transistors generate heat when switching from an off state to an on state, or from an on state to an off state, within the IC. If this heat is neither properly dissipated nor otherwise accounted or compensated, the CMOS transistor can experience degeneration leading to CMOS transistor failure.
Silicon on insulator (SOI) technology can be employed in CMOS fabrication. Generally, SOI is a manufacturing technique in which devices are fabricated on top of a relatively thick layer of silicon dioxide (SiO2), thereby reducing the capacitances of the individual CMOS transistors. The reduction of capacitances of the CMOS transistors can result in significant processing gains in terms of speed of processing.
However, although the IC can have an associated temperature sensor, there can be significant variation in the readings obtained from the temperature sensor from IC to IC. Therefore, a calibration of the temperature sensor is performed to compensate for this variation. Calibration of temperature sensors can be time intensive and costly. Furthermore, the measurement of heat by the temperature sensors in ICs, such as an IC manufactured using the silicon on insulator (SOI) approach, has proven problematic, due to such factors as thermal isolation of CMOS transistors in the chip.
Therefore, what is needed is an IC chip that measures temperature that solves at least some of the disadvantages of conventional ICs that measure temperature.